2009-10 Canada West major awards and all-stars announced

Photo courtesy
Ivan Tam / USask Athletics: Huskies star Breanne
George had a terrific season, with 46 points in just 24 league
games to earn 2009-10 Canada West MVP honours

EDMONTON - Canada West announces the 2009-10
women's hockey individual major award winners and All-Stars, as
selected by head coaches across the conference.

University of Saskatchewan Huskies forward BREANNE
GEORGE has been a highlight for Canada West throughout the
season scoring a conference-high 28 goals and 18 assists for a
league-leading 46 points in 24 games, an overall performance that
has earned the third-year forward recognition as conference Player of the Year.

Throughout the season George has been a thorn in opponent's
backs, scoring multiple goals in eight games this season, including
six goals in one weekend. She had five game-winning goals through
the regular season. Also a First Team All-Star, her 28 goals tied
the all-time Canada West record for goals in a single season.

The Kinesiology student from Saskatoon has been named Huskie
Athletics athlete of the week three times this season and Canada
West & CIS Female Athlete of the Week twice. Her first nod at
the conference and national level came after scoring four goals
against the nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons, including all three
in a 3-2 win. The second time was after she scored six goals in a
weekend series over the Regina Cougars. George helped the Huskies
to a program-best 16-5-3 record in the regular season.

"Breanne has always been an offensive threat for us," said
Huskies head coach Steve Kook. "This season she has been able to
stay consistent while playing against other team's top defensive
lines. Moving to centre this season, Breanne was able to adapt
quickly and is not only just our best offensive player, but solid
defensively, with a +28. Quick to attribute her success to her
teammates, she has made her teammates better as five other players
who have been on her line have had their career seasons."

In her short career, George has already been named a Canada West
Second Team All-Star. She finished the season with 96 career points
and 53 goals, making the CWUAA top 10 all-time in both categories.

The Manitoba Bisons' CAITLIN MacDONALD has been
selected this season's Rookie of the Year.

In her initial Canada West season, MacDonald played in 24
conference season games and was second in defenceman scoring, with
15 points (6g, 9a), including one game-winning goal vs. UBC on
October 30, just her fifth league game.

The 5'7'' Winnipeg native was third in Bisons team scoring,
20th-best overall in Canada West. MacDonald is already recognized
as having one of the hardest point shots in the league and her six
power-play goals tied her for sixth in the conference.

"Caitlin has had a tremendous first year in CIS and has made the
transition from high school to university a seamless one," said
long-time Manitoba head coach Jon Rempel. He added, "She is
skilled, a very hard worker on and off the ice and very passionate
about the game. Her ability to skate the game as well as shoot the
puck with velocity and accuracy are impressive for a first-year
player. Along with her natural offensive ability, Caitlin has
worked very hard to make herself a better all around defensive
player, a factor that has helped her overall game develop at a
rapid pace."

Marion Hilliard
Student-Athlete Award nomineeSTACEY
CORFIELD, also of the Bisons, is a team leader on and off
the ice for a Manitoba team that finished second in the standings,
at 18-6-0, and a No. 6 CIS ranking.

While posting an impressive 15-6 regular season record, a 1.85
goals against average and three shutouts as the team's starting
goaltender, Corfield has also made plenty of contributions to her
school and the community.

Now in her final year of CIS eligibility, Corfield is in her
second year in the U of M's demanding Faculty of Nursing program
and last year achieved a 3.25 GPA. The program is extremely
intensive and involves two days every week of clinical and hospital
practical experience from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. along with the
rigorous demands of regular course work.

In the University community the 22-year-old is very active,
having served as the coordinator for the Bison Sports Siloam
Mission project. This initiative sees Bison athletes from all teams
serve meals at an inner city shelter over the Christmas holiday
break. She is also involved in the Bisons vs. Bullying project, an
initiative started several years ago by UMAC (University of
Manitoba Athletes Council), and Corfield has been involved from the
outset as a driving force from the women's hockey team. The project
sees Bison athletes visit local schools in Winnipeg and rural
Manitoba helping educate young children about bullying and
promoting strategies to help combat it. In the hockey community she
has been a guest evaluator for a number of years with Hockey
Manitoba's Program of Excellence and has also guest-coached with a
number of local female minor hockey teams, lending her experience
and knowledge to young, up and coming goaltenders in the province.

Coach Jon Rempel stated, "Stacey deserves all the credit in the
world for being able to maintain a high level of excellence on the
ice and in the classroom as well as making time to give back to her
community. She has a tremendous work ethic, is diligent in her
preparation and cares about the people around her. She is the
embodiment of what a student-athlete in the CIS is all about and
our program is extremely proud of all her accomplishments."

For the second time in three years, Saskatchewan Huskies head
coach STEVE KOOK has been named the Canada West
Coach of the Year.
Kook, in his fifth year at the helm, led the team to a program-best
16-5-3 record in 2009-10, good for third place, just one point
behind defending conference champion Manitoba Bisons, and a No. 8
CIS ranking.

Highlights include a sweep of Manitoba on January 15-16, a
season-long CIS Top 10 ranking and a 6-0 start back in the fall.
Kook has had seven players be named Canada West All-Stars during
his tenure.

"Steve is a wonderful example of the type of coach we have here
at the University of Saskatchewan," said UofS Athletic Director
Basil Hughton. "He is hard-working, a leader, dedicated and has
true commitment to take the women's hockey program to the next
level. This all translates to his players and the types of athletes
he brings to the program. Steve is well-deserving of this award. It
is a true accomplishment to win this award twice in three years."

In his five seasons with the Huskies he has been behind the
bench for 50 wins, 10 more than the Huskies had in the first eight
years of the programs existence. Kook joined the Huskies in 2005-06
as a part-time coach and in 2008-09 he was named the first-ever
full-time women's hockey coach at the UofS. In 2007-08, Kook was
named Canada West Coach of the Year after guiding the team to a
12-9-3 record and third place, three spots higher than a year
earlier.

The 2010 All-Star team consists of several returnees from last
year's top squad, including award winners George, Corfield, 2009
CIS Player of the Year Tarin Podloski (Alberta),
her teammate Alana Cabana and 2008 conference
Rookie of the Year Addie Miles (Manitoba).
Corfield, Podloski and Cabana each grazed the CIS All-Canadian team
last year, alongside such players as Team Canada Olympic gold
medalists Catherine Ward and Charline Labonté, while
Leah Copeland was a Canada West all-star back in
2007-08. Now in her final season, Podloski is the all-time CIS
scoring champion (213), the single-season points record-holder
(61), was CWUAA 2004-05 Rookie of the Year, an All-Canadian in
2005-06 and 2006-07, won Tournament MVP in 2006 and made the
All-Tournament team at the 2007 CIS event.

Following is a breakdown of all individual award winners
and All-Stars:

Major award are now considered for national awards, to be handed
out by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) at the 2010 national
championship, hosted by St. Francis Xavier University in
Antigonish, NS, March 11-14.

This weekend's Canada West final is the sixth straight season
that the Alberta Pandas host the Manitoba
Bisons in a best-of-three final. Last year
Manitoba knocked off the 10-time CWUAA champions in triple overtime
of Game 3, becoming the first to deny the Pandas a conference title
since 2001. Games are 2:00 p.m. MST on Friday, Saturday and, if
necessary, Sunday at Clare Drake Arena on the U of A campus in
Edmonton.